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Project Advances in the Chamber and May Increase Total Number of Deputies from 513 to 531 to Prevent States from Losing Seats After Update Mandated by the STF
The Chamber of Deputies approved on Monday (5) an urgent request for the project that proposes an increase in the number of lawmakers.
The proposal, now with expedited processing, may alter the balance of power among the states in the National Congress.
Expedited Processing and STF Deadline
With the approval of the urgent request, the proposal can be voted directly in the Chamber’s plenary, without going through the thematic committees.
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The measure seeks to comply with a determination from the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which required the update of the distribution of deputies based on the Census.
The deadline for this adjustment ends on June 30.
The Constitution requires that representation in the Chamber be proportional to the population of each state.
However, the last update of this distribution was made for the elections of 1994, based on the population of 1985.
Since then, no new census has been considered.
Redistribution Based on the Census
The STF’s decision determines that the Chamber continues with 513 deputies but with redistribution of the seats according to the population size of the states.
This would mean that seven states would lose seats: Alagoas, Bahia, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul.
On the other hand, another seven states would gain seats: Amazonas, Ceará, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Pará and Santa Catarina. In total, 14 seats would be redistributed.
Alternative Proposal: Increase the Total Number of Deputies
To avoid losses in the states, the President of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), is negotiating an agreement that keeps all current seats and increases the total number of deputies from 513 to 531.
The proposal has already been formalized in a report by Deputy Damião Feliciano (União-PB), released on Tuesday (6).
According to the text, nine states would gain new seats:
- Amazonas: +2
- Ceará: +1
- Goiás: +1
- Minas Gerais: +1
- Mato Grosso: +2
- Pará: +4
- Paraná: +1
- Rio Grande do Norte: +2
- Santa Catarina: +4
If approved, these changes would apply to the elections of 2026.
Impact on States and Legislative Assemblies
The distribution of seats in the Chamber also affects the number of state deputies in each state.
The Constitution establishes that legislative assemblies must have a number proportional to the federal delegation.
Currently, there are 1,059 state deputies across the country.
If Congress follows the STF’s decision, this number would drop to 1,055.
However, if Hugo Motta’s project is approved, the total would rise to 1,079 state legislators.
TSE Attempted to Implement Change in the Past
This discussion is not new. In 1997, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) attempted to update the delegations but could not implement the measure due to constitutional limitations.
In 2013, then TSE President Minister Cármen Lúcia revisited the topic.
A resolution published updated the composition of the Chamber based on the Census but was quickly blocked by Congress through a legislative decree.
The STF ruled in 2014 that it was unconstitutional to delegate power to the TSE to make such decisions.
The Supreme Court defined that it is exclusively up to the Legislative to define the criteria for the redistribution of seats.
Thus, any change needs to be approved by Congress.
Dispute Involves States That Gain and Those That Lose
The STF’s decision to prevent automatic loss of seats was motivated by actions such as that of then Governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande.
He challenged the reduction of his delegation from 10 to 9 deputies, as provided in the TSE proposal.
The Supreme Court understood that changes like this need to go through the Congress, respecting the principle of separation of powers.
The deadline established by the STF ends on June 30.
Until then, the Chamber must decide between complying with the mandated redistribution or approving the increase in seats. The measure now goes to plenary vote and, if approved, will still depend on the Senate’s review.
A camisa vermelha da seleção brasileira não tem nada a ver com a política. Claro, claro.